Veal in first place: How to make Weiner schnitzel

Café Savoy

Café Savoy – busy cafe by day, relaxed restaurant by night. From morning to early afternoon, enjoy the bustle of a Viennese cafe, and in the evening settle into the slower pace of a refined dinner inspired by French cuisine, prepared by head chef Martin Čáslavka and his team. Every day, you'll be welcomed by the smell of fresh baking and pastries, which we prepare for you alongside Myšák confectionery.

Reserve your table online or by phone. Drop by our hatch, or find us at savoydomu.cz, where you can order breakfast, mains or desserts straight to your door.

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1. The leaner the meat, the better

The choice of meat is crucial. In a butcher's shop, order the lean back meat of the veal leg. At home, clean it thoroughly, so that you are left with a perfectly clean cut. At Savoy, they cut the portions to 160 grams.

2. Slice thinly

Slice the meat thinly, against the grain. A real Wiener schnitzel is big, stretching across the plate, but paper-thin. Forget the little Czech pieces!

3. Pick up a mallet

Pound the slice with a mallet and and don't be afraid of it at all! The result should be a thin slice, but be careful not to puncture the meat all the way to the cutting board.

4. Cut the edges

To prevent the fillet from curling when frying, it is a good idea to to cut a little around the edges. As a rule, make one cut on each side.

5. Perfect the breadcrumbs

Wrap the meat in a classic triple wrap. Perfection lies in the breadcrumbs, though. Grind them at home and sift it through a colander at the end, so that there are no large chunks in the mixture that could burn.

6. Fry in clarified butter

"The 'Weiner' from the Savoy is also famous because it smells of butter. Use enough of it to almost completely submerge the schnitzel, and wait until the fat is hot to add the meat. Do a simple test with a drop of water – dip your hand in the water and splash a little on the pan. When it sizzles, the fat is as hot as you need it to be. Frying in clarified butter is luxurious for the meat and it does it the most good. But use you can also use lard or high quality sunflower oil – the steak will still be good, but only butter will provide the right flavour.

7. 30 seconds on each side

When the fat is hot enough, the schnitzel needs nothing more. But definitely don't walk away from the stove! Fry half a minute on each side, then remove, let excess fat drip off, and let it rest on a napkin to soak up the excess fat.

8. And butter again!

Place the finished schnitzel on a thin slice of butter...and the perfect Wiener is ready! If you really want it to be like the Savoy's, add a slice of lemon, cranberries and serve potato salad as a side dish.